Most people think that the worldwide web is a great place for networking, while others argue that it might not serve as a trustworthy resource for gathering information. While on one hand, the Internet is undoubtedly the fastest way to build connections, on the other hand it creates the issue of privacy and safety. Moreover, it faces us with the challenges of fake news and manipulation when bringing us closer to a range of knowledge and data. However, I believe that with adequate website policies and responsible browsing, it is more than possible to enjoy making friends and limitless learning online.
Firstly, even though internet unlocks a new dimension in the ease of meeting new people and catching up with our old acquantances, it can become quite a dangerous place, especially when it comes to unsupervised children. Taking into consideration that online you can easily hide your true identity, it has become a shelter for pedophiles and other criminals, capitalizing on naivety and sometimes the young age of the internet users. Hence, it is crucial that we monitor the browsing patterns and histories of young individuals and take safety measures to protect our own information against hackers: for instance, incorporating additional steps in our log-in process and never sharing our personal data with anyone else.
Furthermore, the Internet makes learning as affordable as never before. If you posses any device having ability to browse online, you can access billions of apps and sites, offering free tools and resources for broadening your knowledge and worldview. Nevertheless, before taking any information seen on the internet as the absolute truth, we must acquire the skills of differentiating fake and real news, and determining whether a website is crowd-sourced like Wikipedia, is a trusted site of major entities, like , or is a “fishing” source that sells us non-existent goods or other dangerous products.
In conclusion, if we fit in compliance with simple and easy rules and tactics, we can undoubtedly allow ourselves and our children to browse, learn, connect and enjoy our life online.